This blog post is shared with the permission of my PhD supervisor, who was part of these conversations.
I had disability accommodations for a PhD milestone this year. It’s not something I’ve opted for often (or for a while), and it ended up being a positive experience. A colleague who was encouraging me from the sidelines this year and was the first person I sent a text to after my milestone presentation, suggested that sharing what worked could be helpful for others. So, I’ve taken time to reflect on what made it so positive.
Visibility
Leading up to my second milestone, an extenuating circumstance had heightened aspects of my disabilities and their visibility. None of this meant I needed to stop my work, only that I required a touch more understanding along the way.
For me, my disabilities and neurodivergence being more visible isn’t an inherently good or bad thing on the surface. At times, it can be a sign of letting my guard down and feeling safe, perhaps in a one-to-one conversation. When this happens, my eyes light up, I stim happily, and talk enthusiastically. And I’m still disabled. At other times, visibility happens because of unmet support needs, and all my energy is spent on self-accommodating until there’s no energy left for being me. That’s the kind of visibility that wears me down and feels most disabling. It’s disheartening at best and leaves me feeling fearful at worst.
Thankfully, I have a sense of safety in my PhD. And this carried through in discussing adjustments for my milestone. So, I’ve reflected on four factors that made the difference: trust, co-creation, transparency, and communication.
Trust
I nervously shared about being neurodivergent and disabled with my supervisors early in my PhD. While I know my experience won’t be everyone’s, I was lucky to find that this was accepted as a standard and human part of our conversations.
Fears were alleviated. I felt myself relax and I found my rhythm. The trust that came with this also meant I had space and safety to disrupt that rhythm. This year, my PhD meetings became the space where I could trip over my words, be overly excited by words, and occasionally lose my words.
I could share or push back when something wasn’t working, whether it was research-related, disability-related, or otherwise. And that trust led to stress-free conversations when it came to any accommodations. It was already a normal, trusted, and accepted part of communication and simply how we worked together.
Co-creation
During a meeting discussing my milestone, the topic of adjustments came up. I can’t recall who first raised it, but that’s probably indicative of the trust I had in the people around me.
So, I went away, considered, and decided that emailing a table format was the best way (for me!) to suggest any adjustments. (Sample shown in Table 1 below). This was something that could also be shared with the Chair for my session. I felt supported and reassured without being dismissed or patronised. My expertise, research, and belonging weren’t in question. And it felt like a co-created process; one that could have flow-on effects for more inclusive practices.
| Adjusted approach | How this helps me |
| Offer written versions of key questions in the chat during the session (on request/as needed). | – Assists with auditory-related disability, especially for any multi-part or lengthy questions. |
| Allow extra processing time, and patience between questions and responses without pressure. | – Reduces pressure around any processing time needed. – Ensures shared understanding. – Allows me to take notes while people are talking or refer back to slides. |
| Platform with captions | This can be helpful for double-checking what was said (though it depends on the type of meeting or session I’m in). |
Transparency and communication
One of the most valuable parts of this process was the transparency in communication that followed. I felt relief when updates on any behind-the-scenes conversations related to my milestone adjustments were shared with me. I suspect it was recognised as being something I’d appreciate, and I certainly did. At every point, apprehensions and concerns were understood, follow-up conversations occurred when needed, and my trust followed.
You’ll probably notice that, for me, it was the process that mattered as much as any outcome. The process created the conditions that made the accommodations effective and welcomed. It created safety in my visibility.
And the outcome for me? A successful milestone for a PhD student who continues to progress, is planning out their next conference presentation and paper, and is looking forward to making it through their final PhD chapter.